Blade for earth excavating and handling machines



- BLADE FOR EARTH EXCAVATING AND HANDLING MACHINES Filed Feb. 19. 1940 16? t N "guy: o a o @jj-6.4i

Patented June 2, 1942 BLADE FOR EARTHl EXCAVATING AND HANDLING MACHINES Jack Frank Lowe, Brentwood, Calif., assigner to y Arnold W. Edwards, Southgate, Calif.

Application February 19, 1949, serial No. 919,959

'(cl; 37e-141) 1 Claim.

My invention relates generally to earth excavating and moving equipment such as bulldozers, graders, carryall scrapers, Vand thelike, and more particularly to separately formed blades that are detachably applied to the lower portions of the mold boards of earth digging and handling machines and apparatus.

It will be understood that there are various earth excavating and handling machines now in general use that are provided with mold boards Vthat directly engage the earth and which mold boards in some instances are equipped on their lower front portions with blades which receive the wear resulting from contact with the earth during excavating and scraping operations and it is one of the principal objects of my invention to provide an improved form of blade that is mounted on the lower portion of the mold board and extends practically the entire length thereof in order to materially reinforce and strengthen the mold board and at the same time providing a wear receiving member which, when worn to such a degree as to render it unfit for service, may be readily removed from the mold board and replaced by a new blade, thus materially increasing the life or period of service of the mold board and eliminating the necessity for frequent replacement thereof.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a mold board blade of the character referred to, having a main body portion that overlies the lower portionof the mold board to which the blade is applied and said blade being provided with integral brackets that extend upwardly on the rear lower portion of the mold board, particularly at both ends thereof so as to materially reinforce and strengthen the mold board and counteract the strains impressed upon the mold board while the same is in service and likewise protecting the lower and end portions of the mold board against wear resulting from the contact and engagement of the mold board with earth, gravel, and the like.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking against the rear side of the blade contemplated by my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the lower portion of a mold board with my improved blade in position thereupon.

Fig. 3 isa vertical section similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modified form of the blade and its mold board engaging bracket.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Figs. 2 and 3 and showing a construction wherein the bracket is welded to the mold board.

Fig. 5 is a detail View Vshowing the head of one of thebolts utilized in securing the blade to the mold board.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a modified form of the blade and Fig. 7 is a perspective View of a further modied form of the blade.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing and particularly to the construction illustrated in Figs. l and 2, It designates the body of the blade which is preferably formed in a single piece from hard wear resisting metal, for instance, steel that has been treated or alloyed to increase its strength and resistance to wear, the length of which blade corresponds with the length of the mold board M to which the blade is applied. A

Formed integral with or fixed to the lower portion of the blade lll on the rear face thereof and located at the ends of the blade and at the longitudinal center thereof are the lower portions of upwardly presented brackets Il, preferably formed of the same metal from which said blade is formed.'

The upper portions l2 of the brackets Il are spaced apart from the rear face of the body of the blade, thus providing pockets i3 open at the top and both ends for the accommodation of the lower portion of the mold board to which` Aof the bolts or rivets that are utilized in attaching the blade to the mold board and the outer faces of the bolt or rivet heads are preferably flat so that when properly seated in the blade and mold board, said outer faces lie ush with the front face of the blade.

Where bolts are utilized in attaching the blade to the mold board, the heads of said bolts are preferably provided on their circumferential faces with a lug or rib I6 which, when the bolts are properly applied, occupy corresponding grooves or notches I'I that are formed in the counter-sunk ends of the apertures Id, thus effectually preventing said bolts from rotating when the nuts are being appliedrto or removed from the threaded ends of said bolts (see Fig. 5).

The upper portions I 2 of the brackets are provided with apertures I8 for the accommodation of the nuts I9 that are applied to the threaded ends of the bolts B, said apertures being of sufcient size to permit the use of a socket wrench on the nuts when the same are being applied to or removed from the bolts. The construction just described, namely, the apertures I8 provide pockets for the nuts and the ends of the bolts on which said nuts are seated so that the same lie beneath the rear faces of the upper portions I2 of the brackets.

In Fig. 3, Il have illustrated a modified construction wherein the thickness of the upper portion of the bracket IZ is increased, and formed in the rear face of said thickened portion is a recess for the Vaccommodationof the nut on the threaded end of the bolt and the wall of the upper portion i2 of the bracket to the rear of said recess 29 is provided with a threaded aperture 2l that receives a portion of the threaded shank of the belt and which arrangement, together with the nut that is applied to that portion of the bolt that projects into recess 2),materially increases the strength and stability of the detachable connection between the blade and mold board.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the brackets!! are illustrated as being formed integral with the lower rear portion of the blade and in Fig. 4'the blade and bracket are illustrated as being Vseparately formed with the lower portion of the bracket welded to the lower rear face of the blade.

It is to be understood that the lower portions of the blade Iii and the brackets II may be of any desired cross sectional shape, depending of course upon the character of the work to which the mold board is subjected and the particular machine 01 apparatus having its mold board equipped with the reinforcing and wear resist* ing blade.

In the form of blade illustrated in Fig. l, said blade is constructed in a single piece with brackets formed integral with its end and central portions.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated a form of blade that is formed in three parts with each part provided with a bracket and where this construction is used, I prefer to construct the end parts or sections shorter than the intermediate section.

This particular form of blade enables either end section to be readily removed in the event of excessive wear and replaced by a new section 'without disturbing the intermediate and other end sections.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. '7, a single bracket is formed integral with or fixed to the lower rear portion of the blade and tends the entire length thereof.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a reinforcing and wear resisting blade that may be conveniently used on the mold boards -of all earth excavating, moving and handling equipment, such as carryall Scrapers, bulldozers, graders, and the like, and which blade is relaelle tively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

It has been found that the greatest strains and wear are encountered by the end portions of the mold boards of earth excavating and handling equipment and by providing a blade that extends the entire length of the mold board and locating brackets on the end portions of said blade, the strength, stability, and consequent resistance vto strains upon the mold board is greatly increased and said mold board and particularly its end portions are protected against rapid and excessive wear.

I am aware that it has been the practice in some instances to apply to the lower portion of a mold board, a longitudinally disposed plate that functions as a blade, but insofar as I am aware such forms of detachable blades have not been provided with brackets or the like that extend upwardly on the rear'face of the mold board and which arrangement is particularly efficacious by reason of the fact that it reinforces the mold board and effectively resists tendency of the lower portion of the blade and mold board to swing upwardly and rearwardly as a result of strains developed by the engagement of the lower portion of the blade with the earth that is being excavated or scraped.

Inasrnuch as the blades are readily removable from the mold boards, thel lives or periods of service of said mold boards are practically equal to the periods of service of the equipment of which the mold boards are an essential part, for when a bladerhas become worn to such a degree as to render it unit for service it may be easily and quickly removed and replaced by a new blade.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved mold board blade for earth ex cavating and handling machines, may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I clairnas my invention:

The combination with the mold board of an earth excavating and handling apparatus, of a blade positioned on the lower front face of the mold board and extending the entire length thereof, there being a row of apertures formed through said blade and extending throughout the length thereof', spaced brackets formed integral with the lower rear portion of said blade and projecting upwardly therefrom, said brackets having substantial length with the spaces between said brackets being substantially equal in length to the length of said brackets, the upper portions of said brackets being spaced apart from said mold board, there being a row of vapertures formed in the upper portion of each bracket and extending lengthwise thereof, the apertures in said brackets coinciding with certain of the apertures in the blade, fastening means passing through the apertures in said brackets, said blade, and through the apertures formed in the mold board and those apertures in the blade between the brackets being adapted to receive fastening means that passes through the mold board.

JACK FRANK LOWE. 

